1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a map information display apparatus, a map information display method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the rapid development of wireless communication technology and information processing technology, various information processing functions have been made available in small devices, such as portable terminals and image-capturing devices. For example, some image-capturing devices are installed with a position information obtaining function, such as a global positioning system (GPS), so that position information can be added to captured images and recorded. As a result, it is possible for a user to rearrange captured images on the basis of information, such as places and dates and times at which images of subjects were captured. In the current situation, captured images to which information concerning image-capturing places and image-capturing dates and times has been added are often viewed using information processing devices, such as personal computers (PCs). For example, the user uses captured images to look back on memories of a trip while displaying a desired image-capturing place on a map on the basis of additional information, such as other image-capturing places and image-capturing dates and times and looking at the captured images together.
However, when an image-capturing place is desired to be confirmed at the place where the user is staying while on a trip, often, the user is not carrying a PC or the like. In such a case, the user may desire that a map be displayed by using a display device of the image-capturing device or by using a display device of another small device, and that the image-capturing place be displayed on that device. However, when the display device of an image-capturing device or the like is used, if the display area of map information, or the like is not appropriately displayed, there occurs a necessity for the user to frequently perform operations, such as scrolling, expansion/reduction, and the like.
In view of such problems, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-290820 discloses a technology in which, by referring to a video database in which video data and position/time data are associated with each other, video data whose image-capturing position is included in a map displayed in a fixed display area on the screen of a device is searched for, and the image-capturing positions of the video data are displayed as symbols connected by tracks.